“Baikonur 97”

“Baikonur 97” explores the concept of identity duality and links it to immigration through the use of my family’s photographic archive. The frames presented are environmental portraits, family archives of trips, personal moments, exceptional occasions and mundane day to day scenes. Among the original photographs, surreal images may destabilise the perception of what at a first glance might be read as an intimate family album.

The result of this visual assemblage is a surreal piece which critiques the use of media manipulation and fake news when creating negative perceptions regarding immigration. The piece exposes some of the consequences of such practice by presenting a fabricated identity for the migrant. The series parodies this practice through “a plague” of invasive immigrants who are active members of the new environment in which they live and are a part of by celebrating cultural holidays, going to school, and playing an active role in society. “Baikonur 97” uses the power of the image and a surreal aesthetic to highlight the lack of difference from one region to another, from one picture to the next one, underlying the fact that the character of the migrant stays the same, what changes is our perception towards the migrant.